Semiconductor manufacturing equipment

Abstract

To provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which is capable of coping with all warping shapes of a semiconductor wafer, shortening a working time for flattening a warping of the semiconductor wafer, and facilitating adsorption of the semiconductor wafer on a spray adsorption surface.SOLUTION: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: an ejection / adsorption part 60 that ejects an inert gas onto an upper surface of a semiconductor wafer 1 and adsorbs the semiconductor wafer 1 onto an ejection / adsorption surface 62 in which the semiconductor wafer 1 and the ejection / adsorption surface 62 are relatively close to each other by approaching means; an upper heating part 55 that heats the semiconductor wafer 1 from above; and processing means of processing the semiconductor wafer 1 in a state of being adsorbed onto the ejection / adsorption surface 62. The ejection / adsorption part 60 has a plurality of ejection / adsorption holes 74b, 73a, 73b and 73c, and these ejection / adsorption holes 74b, 73a, 73b and 73c are formed in a central part, and are formed concentrically around the central part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that uses a plate-shaped semiconductor wafer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technology for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, for example, as described in Patent Document 1. This semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes a hot plate that heats a sapphire substrate in the atmosphere, a support plate installed at a predetermined distance from the hot plate, a support table that supports the sapphire substrate between the hot plate and the support plate at a predetermined distance and has a support portion that supports the sapphire substrate so that the back surface of the sapphire substrate faces the hot plate, an elevating device that raises and lowers the support table, and a radiant heat absorbing plate that is placed on the support plate at a predetermined distance from the sapphire substrate and faces the front surface of the sapphire substrate, and that absorbs radiant heat from the hot plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-21945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 uses a radiant heat absorbing plate to absorb radiant heat transmitted from a hot plate through a sapphire substrate, thereby heating the air surrounding the sapphire substrate from both the front and back surfaces of the sapphire substrate. In other words, the technology described in Patent Document 1 preheats the sapphire substrate by heat transfer through the air to suppress warping of the sapphire substrate, which results in problems such as a long operation time required to flatten the sapphire substrate and the inability to obtain a desired flatness of the sapphire substrate. As a result, it is difficult to adsorb a semiconductor wafer onto the adsorption surface.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can accommodate any warped shape of semiconductor wafer, shortens the working time required to flatten the warped semiconductor wafer, and makes it easier to adsorb the semiconductor wafer onto the injection adsorption surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 comprises an approaching means for bringing a plate-shaped semiconductor wafer placed on a mounting section and an injection and suction surface relatively close together, an injection and suction means for injecting an inert gas onto the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer while adsorbing the semiconductor wafer onto the injection and suction surface brought relatively close together by the approaching means, a heating section for heating the semiconductor wafer from above, and a processing means for processing the semiconductor wafer while it is adsorbed onto the injection and suction surface, wherein the injection and suction means has a plurality of injection and suction holes formed in a central portion and a plurality of injection and suction holes formed concentrically around the central portion.

[0007] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1, the multiple concentrically formed injection suction holes are arranged at regular intervals.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1, each of the plurality of injection suction holes is formed as a circular hole to which a cylindrical pipe is detachably attached, and the cylindrical pipe is configured to have a different diameter when attached and when detached.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 comprises an approaching means for bringing a plate-shaped semiconductor wafer placed on a mounting section and an injection and suction surface relatively close together, an injection and suction means for injecting an inert gas onto the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer while adsorbing the semiconductor wafer onto the injection and suction surface brought relatively close together by the approaching means, a heating section for heating the semiconductor wafer from above, and a processing means for processing the semiconductor wafer while it is adsorbed onto the injection and suction surface, wherein the injection and suction means has a plurality of injection and suction holes, each of which has a large diameter hole formed on the upper side in the injection direction and a small diameter hole formed below the large diameter hole in the injection direction so that the flow path is narrowed in diameter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the invention of claim 1, the injection suction means has a plurality of injection suction holes, which are formed in the center and are formed concentrically around this center, making it possible to accommodate any warped shape of semiconductor wafers, shortening the work time required to flatten the warped semiconductor wafer and making it easier to suction the semiconductor wafer to the injection suction surface, thereby improving product yield.

[0011] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 2, the multiple concentrically formed injection suction holes are arranged at regular intervals, which makes it possible to more easily accommodate any warpage shape of the semiconductor wafer, making it easier to flatten the warpage of the semiconductor wafer and enabling the semiconductor wafer to be flattened with high precision.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 3, each of the plurality of injection suction holes is formed as a circular hole to which a cylindrical pipe is detachably attached, and the diameter of this cylindrical pipe is configured to be different when it is attached and when it is detached. Therefore, by selectively making the diameters of the plurality of injection suction holes different, it is possible to flatten the semiconductor wafer with extremely high precision.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 4, the multiple injection suction holes are each configured so that a large diameter hole is formed on the upper side in the injection direction and a small diameter hole is formed below the injection direction, continuous with this large diameter hole, thereby narrowing the flow path. This makes it possible to increase the injection flow rate from the multiple injection suction holes, significantly shorten the work time required to flatten the warpage of the semiconductor wafer, and make it easier to suction the semiconductor wafer to the injection suction surface, thereby improving product yield. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure inside a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment; [Figure 3] 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an example in which a semiconductor wafer is placed in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment in a state where the semiconductor wafer is warped in a downwardly convex shape. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an example in which a semiconductor wafer is placed in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment in a state where the cross-section is warped in a substantially M-shape. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a semiconductor wafer is vacuum-sucked onto an injection suction surface in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a film is formed on a semiconductor wafer by thermal oxidation in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an upper plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the upper plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 11]FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a lower plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the lower plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. [Figure 17] 17(a) is an enlarged view showing a state in which a closing member is provided in FIG. 16, and FIG. 17(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the closing member of FIG. [Figure 18] 17(a) is an enlarged view showing a state in which a cylindrical pipe is provided in FIG. 16, and FIG. 17(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the cylindrical pipe of FIG. 17(a). [Figure 19] FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure inside a chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] 1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure inside a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an example in which a semiconductor wafer is placed in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment with a downwardly convex warp. FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an example in which a semiconductor wafer is placed in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment with a substantially M-shaped warp in cross section. FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a semiconductor wafer is vacuum-sucked to a susceptor in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a film is formed on a semiconductor wafer by thermal oxidation in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0016] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0017] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is an apparatus that transfers a semiconductor wafer 1 using a transfer device 30 and performs a thermal oxidation process in a chamber 50 to form a film on the surface by thermal oxidation. The semiconductor wafer 1 used in this embodiment is made of SiC (silicon carbide).

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment has a clean room 11 inside surrounded by a wall surface 12, and a load port 20, a transfer device 30, and a chamber 50 are installed in this clean room 11.

[0019] 1, two load ports 20 are provided on one wall surface. Each of these load ports 20 is loaded with a wafer cassette 5, and each wafer cassette 5 contains a plurality of semiconductor wafers 1.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device 30 is a device that transfers the semiconductor wafer 1 inside the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 10, and includes a transfer robot 31, a load slider 41, and an unload slider 45.

[0021] Of these, the transfer robot 31 is equipped with a transfer arm 32 capable of holding and moving the semiconductor wafer 1. This transfer arm 32 is configured to be able to move the semiconductor wafer 1 between the wafer cassette 5 of the load port 20, the centering section 25, the start position of the load slider 41, and the end position of the unload slider 45.

[0022] The transfer arm 32 also has the function of turning the semiconductor wafer 1 upside down. Therefore, the transfer arm 32 can turn the semiconductor wafer 1 upside down when it was stored in the wafer cassette 5 and then place it on the load slider 41, and can turn the semiconductor wafer 1 upside down when it was placed on the unload slider 45 and then store it in the wafer cassette 5.

[0023] The centering section 25 is a section for positioning the semiconductor wafer 1, and the transfer arm 32 of the transfer robot 31 temporarily places the semiconductor wafer 1 there, positions it, and then removes it again, thereby enabling the transfer arm 32 of the transfer robot 31 to transfer the semiconductor wafer 1 to an accurate position on the load slider 41. In this embodiment, the transfer arm 32 is configured to turn the semiconductor wafer 1 upside down when the semiconductor wafer 1 is temporarily placed on the centering section 25.

[0024] The load slider 41 is a device that moves the semiconductor wafer 1 between a predetermined position outside the chamber 50 and a predetermined position inside the chamber 50. The load slider 41 is configured to be slidable relative to a rail member 49, and has a slider mounting portion 42 as a "mounting portion" at its tip. The load slider 41 moves along the rail member 49 with the semiconductor wafer 1 mounted on the slider mounting portion 42.

[0025] In this embodiment, a load slider 41 is used when moving the semiconductor wafer 1 from the outside to the inside of the chamber 50, and an unload slider 45 is provided below the load slider 41 and is used when moving the semiconductor wafer 1 from the inside to the outside of the chamber 50. The unload slider 45 has the same configuration as the load slider 41 and is configured to be slidable relative to a rail member 49, with a slider mounting portion 46 provided at its tip. The unload slider 45 moves along the rail member 49 with the semiconductor wafer 1 mounted on the slider mounting portion 46.

[0026] As described above, in this embodiment, different transport mechanisms (load slider 41, unload slider 45) are provided for transporting from the outside to the inside of chamber 50 and from the inside to the outside of chamber 50. As a result, according to this embodiment, the semiconductor wafer 1 can be loaded and unloaded from chamber 50 simultaneously, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0027] 2 to 6, a ring heater 43 is provided as a "lower heating section" below the slider mounting section 42 of the load slider 41. The ring heater 43 is controlled to a predetermined temperature, for example, 200 to 300° C., to heat the lower surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1.

[0028] Chamber 50 is a chamber in which film formation processing is performed on semiconductor wafer 1. As shown in Figures 2 to 6, chamber 50 is equipped with an injection and adsorption unit 60 serving as an "injection and adsorption means," a gas supply device 80 serving as a "processing means, film formation means," and a semiconductor wafer rotating device 90 also serving as a "processing means, film formation means."

[0029] The injection and suction unit 60 has an upper heating unit 55, an upper plate 61 disposed above, a lower plate 70 disposed below the upper plate 61, and an injection device (not shown) that performs injection and an injection and suction path 63 for a suction device (not shown) that performs vacuum suction. The lower plate 70 is provided with an injection and suction surface 62 facing downward, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is adsorbed onto this injection and suction surface 62 by vacuum suction. The injection and suction path 63 extends from the center of the upper heating unit 55 of the injection and suction unit 60 to the center of the bottom surface of the upper plate 61.

[0030] In this embodiment, the injection suction path 63 that performs vacuum suction also serves as an injection path for an injection device (not shown) that injects inert gas (nitrogen (N2) gas in this embodiment). This injection suction path 63 cools the upper surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1 by injecting the inert gas before the semiconductor wafer 1 is adsorbed to the injection suction unit 60. Note that this inert gas is exhausted from exhaust ports 51 arranged around the injection suction unit 60, as shown in FIG.

[0031] 2 to 6, the chamber 50 is configured so that the injection and suction unit 60 can be moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism 92 serving as an "approaching means." The vertical movement mechanism 92 moves the injection and suction unit 60 downward to bring it into close contact with the semiconductor wafer 1 placed on the slider placement portion 42 of the load slider 41, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is sucked onto the injection and suction surface 62 by vacuum suction using the injection and suction path 63 of a suction device (not shown).

[0032] The load slider 41 is configured to transport the semiconductor wafer 1 from outside the chamber 50 to a position below the ejection suction surface 62, which serves as the "predetermined position." On the other hand, the unload slider 45 is configured to transport the semiconductor wafer 1 from the position below the ejection suction surface 62 to outside the chamber 50.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the semiconductor wafer 1 placed on the slider placement portion 42 is moved by the load slider 41 to a predetermined position below the injection suction surface 62 inside the chamber 50, the lower surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated by the ring heater 43 of the slider placement portion 42. At this time, the ring heater 43 is heated to, for example, about 200 to 300°C.

[0034] 6, the chamber 50 is provided with a gas supply device 80 and a semiconductor wafer rotating device 90. Of these, the gas supply device 80 supplies gas generated from a gas generation unit 81 to the underside 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 through a nozzle plate 82. Specifically, in this embodiment, O and SiH are generated in a first gas generation unit 83 located in the center, and N is generated in a second gas generation unit 84 located around the first gas generation unit 83.

[0035] The semiconductor wafer rotating device 90 is provided with a rotating mechanism 91, which is fixed integrally with the spray and adsorption unit 60 and configured to rotate the spray and adsorption unit 60 during film formation. The semiconductor wafer rotating device 90 is always fixed above the spray and adsorption unit 60, and the spray and adsorption unit 60, exhaust pipe 85, and semiconductor wafer rotating device 90 are configured to be movable up and down simultaneously by a vertical movement mechanism 92 relative to the fixed gas supply device 80.

[0036] In this embodiment, the semiconductor wafer 1 is adsorbed by the injection adsorption unit 60 by vacuum suction, and is heated to, for example, about 400°C by the upper heating unit 55. The injection adsorption unit 60 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 91 of the semiconductor wafer rotation device 90, while SiH4, O2, and N2 are supplied from the gas supply device 80, thereby performing a film formation process on the underside 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 adsorbed by the injection adsorption unit 60 by thermal oxidation.

[0037] During this film formation process, the injection and adsorption unit 60 is configured to rotate, so gas can be supplied while rotating the semiconductor wafer 1. This allows for uniform film formation on the semiconductor wafer 1. The gas generated during this film formation process is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 85 through the exhaust port 51.

[0038] 3, during the period from when the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the slider placement section 42 until it is transported by the transport device 30 to a position below the injection and suction section 60, the lower surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated by the ring heater 43 to, for example, 200 to 300°C, thereby curving the semiconductor wafer 1 downward. Here, the warpage of the semiconductor wafers 1 sequentially placed on the slider placement section 42 is not uniform, but is formed into complex warpage shapes.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, from the time when the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the slider mounting portion 42 until it is transported to a position below the injection suction portion 60, the lower surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated by the ring heater 43, thereby causing the semiconductor wafer 1 to bend uniformly downward.

[0040] In this embodiment, the ring heater 43 heats the bottom surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 to approximately 200 to 300°C, and the upper heating unit 55 heats the top surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1 to approximately 400°C, causing the semiconductor wafer 1 to change from a downwardly curved state to an upwardly curved state. In this case, if the injection and suction path 63 is disposed only in the approximate center of the injection and suction surface 62 of the injection and suction unit 60 in a plan view, when the injection and suction unit 60 injects an inert gas (nitrogen gas) onto the top surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1, the semiconductor wafer 1 will bend into an approximately M-shaped cross section, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 4. As a result, even if the injection and suction unit 60 is brought close to the semiconductor wafer 1 and an attempt is made to adsorb the semiconductor wafer 1 onto the injection and suction unit 60, adsorption will not be possible.

[0041] Next, we will explain the configuration of the upper plate 61, the injection suction surface 62, the injection suction path 63, and the lower plate 70 of the injection suction unit 60, which sprays an inert gas onto the upper surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1 to flatten the semiconductor wafer 1 from its curved, approximately M-shaped cross section.

[0042] First, the configuration of the upper plate 61 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0043] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the upper plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 9 is a bottom view showing the upper plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 8.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 , the upper plate 61 is formed in the shape of a circular thin plate made of molybdenum (Mo), and the tips of the injection and suction paths 63 extend to the center of the upper plate 61. Eight radial grooves 64 are formed on the upper surface of the upper plate 61, radiating from the tips of the injection and suction paths 63 to the outer periphery at the same angle in the circumferential direction. These radial grooves 64 guide the inert gas injected from the injection and suction paths 63 to the injection and suction holes (described later) on the outer periphery of the lower plate 70. The upper plate 61 is formed with four connecting holes 65 at the same angle in the circumferential direction for connecting the lower plate 70 with a fastening member (not shown). The upper plate 61 also is formed with four fixing holes 66 slightly inward of the connecting holes 65 at different angles in the circumferential direction from the connecting holes 65 for fixing the upper plate 61 to the upper heating section 55 with a fixing member (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , these connecting holes 65 and fixing holes 66 are formed to penetrate from the top surface to the bottom surface of the upper plate 61.

[0045] 9 and 10, a guide passage 67 is formed on the underside of the upper plate 61, and this guide passage 67 has a plurality of cross-shaped grooves 68 formed radially to guide the inert gas from the injection and suction passage 63 at the center to the periphery, and three concentric grooves 69a, 69b, and 69c formed concentrically so as to respectively communicate with these cross-shaped grooves 68. These three concentric grooves 69a, 69b, and 69c have diameters of 100 mm, 130 mm, and 169 mm from the inner periphery, for example.

[0046] Next, the configuration of the lower plate 70 will be described.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the lower plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a bottom view showing the lower plate of the injection and suction unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 11. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 11. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. 14. FIG. 17(a) is an enlarged view showing a state in which a closing member is provided in FIG. 16, and FIG. 17(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the closing member in FIG. 16. FIG. 18(a) is an enlarged view showing a state in which a cylindrical pipe is provided in FIG. 16, and FIG. 18(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the cylindrical pipe in FIG. 16.

[0048] 7 and 10 to 15, the lower plate 70 is formed in the shape of a circular thin plate from molybdenum (Mo) like the upper plate 61, and has an upper surface formed with a storage recess 71 into which the upper plate 61 is fitted. Four connecting holes 72 for connecting to the upper plate 61 with fastening members (not shown) are formed in the upper surface of the lower plate 70 at the same positions as the upper plate 61 and at the same angle in the circumferential direction as the connecting holes 65 of the upper plate 61.

[0049] 2 to 5, the lower plate 70 is provided with a large number of injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c spaced at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, which holes communicate with the concentric grooves 69a, 69b, 69c, each having a diameter of 100 mm, 130 mm, and 169 mm, formed in the lower surface of the upper plate 61. These injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c are positioned slightly toward the outer periphery of the lower plate 70 and are formed to penetrate from the upper surface to the lower surface.

[0050] The injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, and 73c are each formed as a circular hole. For example, as shown in FIG. 16 , the injection and suction hole 73c has a large-diameter hole 731 formed over more than halfway from the upper surface in the thickness direction of the lower plate 70, and a small-diameter hole 732 formed concentrically with the large-diameter hole 731 on the lower surface side. The large-diameter hole 731 and the small-diameter hole 732 are formed concentrically. In other words, orifices are formed in the injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, and 73c. ​​As a result, in this embodiment, when inert gas is injected from the injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, and 73c, the flow path of the inert gas supplied to the large-diameter hole 731 is narrowed by the small-diameter hole 732, and the flow rate of the injected inert gas can be increased compared to when the flow path is not narrowed.

[0051] 11, 12, and 15 are formed at regular intervals around the outer periphery of the injection suction holes 73c. ​​These injection suction holes 74a communicate with the outer periphery of the eight radial grooves 64 formed in the upper surface of the upper plate 61. These injection suction holes 74a are formed to communicate with one another through a gap G (shown in FIG. 7) between the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the upper heating section 55 and the outer periphery of the upper surface of the lower plate 70. Injecting inert gas from these injection suction holes 74a prevents the inert gas injected from the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, and 73c and injection suction hole 74b (described later) from flowing around.

[0052] Furthermore, at the center position of the lower plate 70, on the inner peripheral side of the injection suction hole 73a, four injection suction holes 74b are formed so as to communicate with the vicinity of the intersection of the cross-shaped grooves 68 formed in the lower surface of the upper plate 61, as shown in Figures 2 to 5. Although not shown, these four injection suction holes 74b also have large diameter holes and small diameter holes formed continuously in the vertical direction, similar to the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, and 73c. ​​In other words, the four injection suction holes 74b are also formed in orifices.

[0053] The injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection and suction holes 74a, 74b perform vacuum suction from a suction device (not shown), and inject inert gas supplied from an injection device (not shown).

[0054] The above-mentioned injection adsorption surface 62 is provided on the lower surface of the lower plate 70. As shown in Fig. 12, a guide passage 75 is formed on the lower surface of the lower plate 70 in the same manner as on the lower surface of the upper plate 61, and this guide passage 75 has cross-shaped grooves 76 as multiple radial grooves formed radially from the center position of the lower surface of the lower plate 70 to the periphery, and three concentric grooves 77a, 77b, 77c formed concentrically so as to communicate with these cross-shaped grooves 76, respectively.

[0055] The cross-shaped groove 76 is formed to have the same length as the cross-shaped groove 68 of the upper plate 61. The three concentric grooves 77a, 77b, 77c have diameters of 100 mm, 130 mm, and 169 mm from the inner periphery, the same as the three concentric grooves 69a, 69b, 69c of the upper plate 61. The above-mentioned numerous injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c are respectively arranged in these concentric grooves 77a, 77b, 77c.

[0056] 17(a) and 17(b) are detachably provided on the numerous injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b. By attaching this closure member 78 to the numerous injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b, the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b are closed.

[0057] The closing member 78 is formed in a cylindrical shape and prevents vacuum suction from being performed from the numerous injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction hole 74b, and closes the injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction hole 74b in areas where you do not want to spray inert gas.

[0058] 18(a) and 18(b), a cylindrical pipe 79 is detachably attached to the numerous injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction hole 74b. The cylindrical pipe 79 is configured so that the diameters of the numerous injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction hole 74b differ when attached and when detached. By attaching the cylindrical pipe 79 to any of the numerous injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction holes 74a, 74b, the hole diameters of the numerous injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction hole 74b can be changed. Here, a large number of cylindrical pipes 79 with different hole diameters may be prepared, and the hole diameters of the injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection and suction hole 74b may be varied depending on the warpage of the area to be injected and suctioned.

[0059] Next, the overall operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described.

[0060] 1, the transfer arm 32 of the transfer robot 31 takes out one semiconductor wafer 1 from the wafer cassette 5 placed on the load port 20. Then, the semiconductor wafer 1 is turned over and placed on the centering section 25 for positioning.

[0061] Next, when the positioned semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the slider placement section 42 located at the starting position on the front side of the load slider 41, the semiconductor wafer 1 is held by a holding section (not shown) of the slider placement section 42, and the underside 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated by a ring heater 43 to bend the semiconductor wafer 1 downward as shown in FIG. 3. In this state, the load slider 41 slides into the chamber 50 and is transported to a predetermined position below the injection and suction section 60, i.e., to the position below the injection and suction section 60.

[0062] In this embodiment, by heating the lower surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 to approximately 200 to 300°C by the ring heater 43 while the semiconductor wafer 1 is being transported, the semiconductor wafer 1 is uniformly curved downward even if the semiconductor wafer 1 has various degrees of warpage. Then, when the semiconductor wafer 1 reaches a position below the injection and suction unit 60, the vertical movement mechanism 92 shown in Fig. 6 is driven to lower the injection and suction unit 60 so that the gap therebetween becomes a predetermined gap.

[0063] Next, when the distance between the semiconductor wafer 1 and the injection and suction unit 60 reaches a predetermined distance, the upper surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated to approximately 400°C by the upper heating unit 55, causing the semiconductor wafer 1 to change from a downwardly curved state to an upwardly curved state. In this state, the lower surface 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 remains heated to the above temperature by the ring heater 43.

[0064] If the injection suction path 63 is disposed only in the approximate center of the injection suction surface 62 of the injection suction unit 60 in a plan view, as in the conventional case, when the injection suction unit 60 injects inert gas (nitrogen gas) at room temperature for cooling onto the upper surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1, the semiconductor wafer 1 will bend in an approximate M-shape in cross section, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4. In this case, even if the injection suction unit 60 is brought close to the semiconductor wafer 1 and an attempt is made to have the injection suction unit 60 suck the semiconductor wafer 1, the semiconductor wafer 1 cannot be sucked.

[0065] Therefore, in this embodiment, the inert gas (nitrogen gas) supplied to the injection suction path 63 is guided through the radial grooves 64 of the upper plate 61 to the outer periphery of the upper plate 61, and then injected onto the outer periphery of the upper surface 3 of the semiconductor wafer 1 through the numerous injection suction holes 74a of the lower plate 70.

[0066] At the same time, the inert gas flows from the injection and suction path 63 through the center of the cross-shaped groove 68 of the guide passage 67 of the upper plate 61 into the four injection and suction holes 74b of the lower plate 70, and is injected from these injection and suction holes 74b, and also passes from the cross-shaped groove 68 through the concentric grooves 69a, 69b, 69c, and is injected from the multiple injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c. ​​In this way, the inert gas is injected from the four injection and suction holes 74b from the center of the lower plate 70, and from the multiple injection and suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c arranged around these four injection and suction holes 74b. This makes it possible to deal with not only cases where the semiconductor wafer 1 is curved with a generally M-shaped cross section, but also cases where the semiconductor wafer 1 is warped in any shape, and to flatten the warpage of the semiconductor wafer 1.

[0067] Next, after the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed, the supply of the cooling inert gas (nitrogen gas) is stopped, and at the same time, the vertical movement mechanism 92 is driven to lower the injection suction unit 60 until the semiconductor wafer 1 and the injection suction surface 62 of the injection suction unit 60 come into close contact with each other. Then, when the injection suction surface 62 of the injection suction unit 60 comes into close contact with the semiconductor wafer 1, the injection suction path 63 is switched to function as a suction path, vacuum suction is initiated, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is sucked onto the injection suction surface 62 facing downward as shown in FIG.

[0068] In the case of an M-shaped warp as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the area of ​​contact with the injection suction section 60 is small and therefore suction is often not possible. However, by providing four injection suction holes 74b and numerous injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c around these as in this embodiment, it is possible to accommodate any warped shape of semiconductor wafer, shorten the working time required to flatten the semiconductor wafer, and make it easier to suction the semiconductor wafer to the injection suction surface.

[0069] Thereafter, the load slider 41 and slider mounting portion 42 are retracted to the outside of the chamber 50, and as shown in FIG. 6, the spray suction portion 60 and the semiconductor wafer rotating device 90 are moved closer to the fixed gas supply device 80. With this configuration, the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated by the upper heating portion 55, and while the spray suction portion 60 is rotated by the semiconductor wafer rotating device 90, SiH4, O2, and N2 are sprayed onto the underside 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1, and a film is formed by thermal oxidation.

[0070] When film formation on the underside 2 of the semiconductor wafer 1 is completed, the vertical movement mechanism 92 is driven to move the injection and suction unit 60 and the semiconductor wafer rotating device 90 upward from their positions during film formation, the unload slider 45 is moved from outside the chamber 50 to below the injection and suction unit 60, and the semiconductor wafer 1 on which film formation has been completed is placed on the slider mounting portion 46 of the unload slider 45 and transported from the chamber 50 to the outside.

[0071] After that, after cooling for a predetermined time, the semiconductor wafer 1 is turned upside down by the transfer arm 32 of the transfer robot 31 and stored in the wafer cassette 5 of the load port 20. Thereafter, the shutter (not shown) of the wafer cassette 5 is closed, and the wafer is transferred to a device for performing the next process.

[0072] As described above, according to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the injection suction section 60 is provided below the upper heating section 55 and has a plurality of injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b. These injection suction holes are arranged in the central portion and around this central portion. This makes it possible to accommodate not only a semiconductor wafer 1 that is curved in a generally M-shaped cross section, but also any warpage shape of the semiconductor wafer 1. This shortens the working time required to flatten the warpage of the semiconductor wafer 1 and makes it easier to adsorb the semiconductor wafer 1 onto the injection suction surface 62, thereby improving the product yield.

[0073] Furthermore, according to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the injection suction section 60 has an upper plate 61 arranged on the upper side and a lower plate 70 arranged below this upper plate 61, and a plurality of injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b are formed in the lower plate 70, and a guide passage 67 is provided between the upper plate 61 and the lower plate 70 to guide inert gas to the plurality of injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b. This makes it possible to better accommodate any warpage shape of the semiconductor wafer 1, makes it easier to flatten the warpage of the semiconductor wafer 1, and enables the semiconductor wafer 1 to be flattened with high precision.

[0074] Furthermore, according to semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, guide passage 67 has cross-shaped grooves 68 as radial grooves formed in multiple radial directions to guide inert gas from a central position to the periphery, and concentric grooves 69a, 69b, 69c formed in multiple concentric directions so as to communicate with cross-shaped groove 68, and injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b are provided in communication with cross-shaped groove 68 and multiple concentric grooves 69a, 69b, 69c, respectively, making it possible to better accommodate any warpage shape of semiconductor wafer 1, making it easier to flatten the warpage of semiconductor wafer 1, and enabling semiconductor wafer 1 to be flattened with high precision.

[0075] Furthermore, according to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection suction hole 74b are provided with detachable closing members 78, and the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection suction hole 74b can be closed by attaching this closing member 78. Therefore, by selectively closing the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection suction hole 74b, the semiconductor wafer 1 can be planarized with extremely high precision.

[0076] Furthermore, according to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection suction hole 74b are provided with detachable cylindrical pipes 79, and the diameters of the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection suction hole 74b can be changed by attaching the cylindrical pipes 79. Therefore, by selectively changing the diameters of the injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and the injection suction hole 74b, the semiconductor wafer 1 can be planarized with extremely high precision.

[0077] Furthermore, according to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, since the semiconductor wafer 1 is made of SiC, even if the semiconductor wafer 1 is warped, it is suitable as a material for reducing the warpage. [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure inside a chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that parts that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0078] 19, the injection valve 102 and the injection device 101, and the suction valve 104 and the suction device 103 are connected in parallel to the injection suction path 63 via a pipe 105. In this embodiment, the injection device 101 and the suction device 103 are arranged adjacent to each other, thereby making the length of the pipe 105 as short as possible.

[0079] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0080] An inert gas is sprayed from the spray device 101 through the spray valve 102, the piping 105, and the spray suction path 63 onto the spray suction surface 62 of the spray suction unit 60 to correct the warpage of the semiconductor wafer 1, and then the semiconductor wafer 1 is moved to the suction position. Then, the spray valve 102 is closed and the suction valve 104 is opened at the same time.

[0081] Then, the semiconductor wafer 1 is sucked onto the injection and suction surface 62 of the injection and suction unit 60. If the suction operation of the semiconductor wafer 1 is delayed with respect to the end of the injection operation of the inert gas, the semiconductor wafer 1 may warp back, making it impossible to suck the semiconductor wafer 1 onto the injection and suction surface 62.

[0082] Therefore, in this embodiment, the length of the pipe 105 is shortened as much as possible, specifically from about 5 meters to about several tens of centimeters, thereby improving the responsiveness of the changeover between the end of the inert gas injection operation and the suction operation of the semiconductor wafer 1. This makes it possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer 1 from warping back. The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. [Other embodiments] The above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0083] For example, in the above embodiments, an example was described in which a semiconductor wafer 1 made of SiC was used, but this is not limited thereto, and any suitable material such as silicon can be used as long as warping is a problem. Furthermore, the workpiece is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and the present invention may be applied to other substrates, etc. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the technology of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer film formation apparatus, but this is not limited thereto, and the present invention can also be applied to semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses other than film formation apparatuses.

[0084] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the vertical movement mechanism 92 serving as the approaching means is used to bring the ejection suction surface 62 closer to the semiconductor wafer 1, but this is not limiting and the vertical movement mechanism may be provided between the load slider 41 and the slider placement portion 42, and the semiconductor wafer 1 may be brought closer to the ejection suction surface 62, in the opposite manner to the above. In addition, the ejection suction surface 62 may be brought closer to the semiconductor wafer 1 at the same time that the semiconductor wafer 1 is brought closer to the ejection suction surface 62. In other words, it is sufficient to bring at least one of the semiconductor wafer 1 and the ejection suction surface 62 closer to each other.

[0085] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, an example has been described in which a cylindrical closing member 78 is attached to close the numerous injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an area of ​​the numerous injection suction holes 73a, 73b, 73c and injection suction hole 74b may be selected, and a thin plate formed in a shape corresponding to that area, such as a fan shape, an arc shape, or an annular shape, may be placed between the upper plate 61 and the lower plate 70 to close the injection suction holes within that area.

[0086] In the first embodiment, an example was described in which cross-shaped grooves 68 were formed as radial grooves on the underside of the upper plate 61, but this is not limited to this, and eight radial grooves may be formed, for example, like the radial grooves 64 of the upper plate 61 shown in Figure 7, or in other words, it is sufficient that they are formed radially. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1. Semiconductor wafer 2 Bottom side 3 Top surface 10. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 20 Loading Port 30 Conveyor device 31 Transport robot (transport device) 41 Road slider (transport device) 42 slider placement section (placement section) 43 Ring heater 45 Unload slider (transport device) 46 Slider mounting section 50 Chambers 55 Upper heating section (heating section) 60 Injection adsorption unit (injection adsorption means) 61 Upper Plate 62 Injection suction surface 63 Injection suction path 64 Radial groove 65 Connection hole 66 Fixing hole 67 Guideway 68 Cruciform groove (radial groove) 69a,69b,69c concentric groove 70 Lower plate 71 Storage recess 72 Connection hole 73a,73b,73c Injection suction hole 74a,74b Injection suction hole 75 Guideway 76 Cruciform groove (radial groove) 77a,77b,77c concentric groove 78 Closure member 79 Cylindrical Pipe 80 Gas supply device (film forming means, processing means) 90 Semiconductor wafer rotating device (film forming means, processing means) 91 Rotating mechanism 92 Vertical movement mechanism (access means) 101 Injection device 102 Injection valve 103 Suction device 104 Suction valve 105 Piping 731 Large diameter hole 732 Small diameter hole G Gap

Claims

1. an approaching means for relatively approaching the plate-shaped semiconductor wafer placed on the placement portion and the jet suction surface; a jet suction means for jetting an inert gas onto the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer, and for adsorbing the semiconductor wafer onto the jet suction surface brought relatively close to the semiconductor wafer by the approach means; a heating unit that heats the semiconductor wafer from above; a processing means for processing the semiconductor wafer while it is held by suction on the injection suction surface, a semiconductor manufacturing device characterized in that the injection suction means has a plurality of injection suction holes, the injection suction holes being formed in a central portion and a plurality of injection suction holes being formed concentrically around the central portion;

2. 2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of concentrically formed injection and suction holes are arranged at regular intervals.

3. 2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of injection suction holes is formed as a circular hole to which a cylindrical pipe is detachably attached, and the cylindrical pipe is configured to have a different diameter when attached and when detached.

4. an approaching means for relatively approaching the plate-shaped semiconductor wafer placed on the placement portion and the jet suction surface; a jet suction means for jetting an inert gas onto the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer, and for adsorbing the semiconductor wafer onto the jet suction surface brought relatively close to the semiconductor wafer by the approach means; a heating unit that heats the semiconductor wafer from above; a processing means for processing the semiconductor wafer while it is held by suction on the injection suction surface, a semiconductor manufacturing device characterized in that the injection suction means has a plurality of injection suction holes, and each of these injection suction holes has a large diameter hole formed on the upper side in the injection direction and a small diameter hole formed on the lower side in the injection direction, continuous with the large diameter hole, so that the diameter of the flow path is narrowed.

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